Dear friends and family,
Do you remember standing with us two years ago for my medical license in Ghana to come through? Or my joy when I reported back on our newsletter that, after going through all the required interviews and tests with the Ghana Medical Council, I had been granted the right to practice as a doctor?
Little that I knew, that this right would be later on questioned and my license revoked – ‘why?’ I kept asking the Council for a whole year, without being given any answers. On our last newsletter I mentioned being on a ‘forced maternity leave’. Two months ago, after many meetings and discussions and fees being repaid, I finally heard from them: I never ‘signed’ for my license. I was never told to sign any piece of paper, even on the times when we called the Council after the interviews to check on the progress of the license – on the day of my final interview (over two years ago) I had been told by one of the members of the Council that it would be coming in the mail and that in the meantime I was allowed to see patients. And so I did.
Much has happened since we moved to Amakom and we are very aware of His presence, provision and purpose in this place. We have been able to be broken, shaken and molded by the hardships of a life in the village, but also immensely blessed in His love as we became one with the community, and loved and were loved in return. We went through a cholera epidemic, endemic malaria, malnutrition and many, many other reasons that confirmed in my heart my calling to serve at the Lake Bosomtwe clinic as a physician. I was deeply moved by our Father’s heart to the poor and changed by the pain and dependence on God’s provision that we witnessed and were part of. Through your help the clinic boomed, the community was lifted up with hope and lives were saved and transformed. As I write you so carefully (almost with a holy fear) and choose words to describe all that happened in these last three years in my family’s life, what keeps coming to my mind are faces - the faces of so many that crossed our paths and taught us so much about Him. I personally was changed forever and ruined for the ordinary as I learned to see Jesus in every person I was able to minister to as a doctor, but also as a friend, mother and yes, as a daughter and sometimes granddaughter too. I had the joy to heal Jesus, give Him many glasses of cold water, dress Him, comfort Him, feed Him and love Him in a way that is absolutely addictive. At the same time I was able to see my husband’s gifting bloom and watched him thrive through the challenges that were continuously presented to us. We have grown and have watched others around us grow in the Lord.
After one whole year trying to make sense out of this situation Andrew and I started asking the Lord for clear direction concerning our ministry, instead of praying to have my license back. And here is what we wrote our U.S. leadership at The Mission Society recently:
“After a lot of prayer and listening to Him regarding our presence in Ghana He has confirmed in our hearts and we are in agreement as a couple that it is time to go. The decision is not based on frustration, resentment, or any other emotion. On the contrary, we are in peace. We do not understand all that may be coming next, but we are convicted that it is best for our family and the ministry for us to step out, once the clinic construction is over and we are able to present it to the Methodist Church Ghana. We always dreamed of it being 100% staffed with nationals, and we believe this to be a pivotal time to push the transition into their hands. We are very blessed to be able to present in the coming months this beautiful gift from the Lord back into the hands that opened the door for our family to be able to be part of their vision.“
Shortly after we made our decision, we learned that my name had been placed on a list of ‘doctors to be arrested for practicing medicine illegally in Ghana’. It is hard to describe the sense of injustice that has filled our thoughts and emotions since then. I suddenly could not feel safe at our home anymore and after quickly packing our clothes, we left Amakom, on our way to the capital city. I struggled with the thought of being put in jail with an infant to nurse, and common tasks as driving down the road became a major stressor to me. God has been healing and restoring in my heart what was a truly traumatic experience. I appreciate your outpouring of love and prayers, and feel very privileged to be in this journey with you.
Juliana
We didn’t blog or email this as we wanted to safely leave the country without raising any flags. This past Monday we left Ghana, arriving in Colorado. Our leadership has urged us to attend ‘Debriefing and Re-Entry’ (a program designed to help cross-cultural families debrief past experiences and adjust to the next transition, with primary emphasis on recognizing God’s hand in past events and anticipating the next step for which God is preparing us) at Mission Training International in Colorado Springs, and before this occurs we are taking time to rest and recuperate. After spending Thanksgiving with family in Kansas City, we will continue onward to our next mission field, in Brazil.
Our current status with The Mission Society remains unchanged at this point as we will be meeting with the Regional Coordinator for South America in mid-December. We are exploring the possibilities of continuing with The Mission Society serving in Belo Horizonte, Juliana’s hometown.
We are so grateful for the leadership, support, care and guidance we have been receiving from The Mission Society on the field and from the U.S. office. Your prayers, notes and phone calls have been very encouraging and a great reminder of the victory we have in our Father’s love. God is good, always.
Juliana and I thank you for caring. We thank you for your prayers, and for serving the Lord with us!
Blessings to you!
Andrew and Juliana,
Lucas, Luiza and Nicolas
For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.
2 Corinthians 5:14,15 (NIV)
For me, Andrew, it's been an intense time of grieving as I leave a work that I have poured so much into, enjoyed immensely and grown so much through.
